Comiendo como los “troqueros” / Eating like a trucker

Hoy, un sólo día después de haber participado de la conferencia de blogueros en la Florida Central (Central Florida Blogger Conference), decidí asistir a otro evento en mi comunidad. Uno de los oradores blogueros, Mark Baratelli de The Daily City, organiza varios eventos en la ciudad de Orlando, incluso el “Orlando Food Truck Bazaar” (la feria de camiones de comida de Orlando).

 

¡Reserven la fecha para la próxima feria!
 

Para los latinos, comprar comida de un camión no es nada fuera de lo común. Siendo de Puerto Rico, recuerdo el entusiasmo que sentí cuando visité como adolecente por primera vez el área de Piñones, donde se puede comer cuanta fritura existe hecho en un camión.

Pero acá en los estados unidos no estoy acostumbrada a comprar “comida ambulatoria.” Lo más cercano son los carritos que estacionan en los parques para vender hot dogs o piraguas. Tal vez en las ciudades más grandes la gente compra comida de kioskos, pero muchos le huyen por riesgos de salud.

Por eso me sorprendió cuando leí en el itinerario de la conferencia de blogueros que íbamos todos a comprar el almuerzo desde un camion. Lo que más me asombró fue la variedad de comida—los cocineros de Big Wheel Provisions prepararon ensaladas de camarones, tacos de carne, y emparedados de pollo, entre otras comidas variadas.

Con Mark Baratelli, productor y organizador del evento.

Cuando me enteré de la feria de hoy, estaba loca por ver que tenían para tentar mi paladar.

Mis padres y yo compartimos un plato de ropa vieja con tostones, y yo compré una pupusa de cerdo con frijoles.

 

Ropa vieja con tostones y una salsa bien rica. Mmmm...

Me gustó que tenían dos camiones de comida hispana, aunque extrañé que no tenían comida puertorriqueña, cubana o dominicana. Lo único que faltaba es que tuvieran bocinas tocando música de salsa. Le hubiese añadido al ambiente festivo.

 

Esta foto dedicada a mis amigos/as de Latinos in Social Media. 😉

Bajé la comida con una bebida de Snapple—gratis, cortesía de Dealagio.com, quien auspició el evento. También Hunter Vision sirvió té frío del restaurante Panera.

Sobre todo, encontré que fue un evento muy agradable para personas de todas edades, y los precios fueron módicos.

El próximo Orlando Food Truck Bazaar será el domingo, 21 de agosto en el Fashion Square Mall, desde las 6 de la tarde hasta las 10 de la noche. El evento es al aire libre asi que les tengo varias recomendaciones para que la pasen super:

 

Una pupusa de cerdo con curtido-- ¡mi primera!

–No hay baños disponibles después de cerrar el mall; lleguen un rato antes de cerrar y usen los de las tiendas.

–Este evento es afuera en el sol; vengan preparados con bloqueador y ropa apropiada. También asegúrense de chequear el pronóstico de tiempo por si llueve.

–Traigan “cash,” ya que algunos vendedores no aceptan tarjetas de crédito

— Traigan sus propias sillas…y prepárense para hacer filas largas frente a los camiones más populares.

–¡Conozcan su nueva adicción! De seguro van a querer perseguir a estos camiones.

Traigan a toda la familia (¡hasta al perrito!) y vengan al “come y vete” donde te quedarás un rato socializando. La próxima vez, atacaré a los postres. 😉

 

A punto de disfrutar mi primera pupusa. ¡WEPA!

 

 

Cariños,

–Laurita

 

 

 

Today, only one day after attending the Central Florida Blogger Conference, I decided to attend another event in my community. One of the conference’s speakers, Mark Baratelli of The Daily City, organizes several different events in Orlando, among them the Orlando Food Truck Bazaar.

For Latinos, the concept of buying food from a vehicle is nothing out of the ordinary. Being from Puerto Rico, I recall my excitement when, as a teenager, I made my first visit to Piñones, an area where you can find just about every fried Puerto Rican specialty made in a truck.

But here in the U.S., I’m not used to eating “mobile food.” The closest thing I can think of are the parked carts where you buy hot dogs or sno-cones. No doubt in the larger cities, people often buy food from cart vendors, but many shy away from carted fare for health risk concerns.

That’s why I was surprised when I read in the conference schedule that we would be buying our lunch from a truck. What amazed me the most was the variety of food– the cooks from Big Wheel Provisions prepared shrimp salads, beef tacos, and chicken sandwiches, among other different meals.

When I found out about today’s bazaar, I couldn’t wait to find out what they offered to tempt my tastebuds.

My parents and I shared a plate of ropa vieja con tostones— shredded meat in sauce over fried, flattened plantains. I also bought a pupusa, a traditional dish from El Salvador which is made using a corn tortilla stuffed with some type of filling. (Mine had pork, cheese and refried beans!)

I loved that they had two trucks with Hispanic fare, although I missed seeing any Puerto Rican, Cuban or Dominican food. Besides that, the only thing missing was some salsa beats playing in the trucks! That would have really added to the festive environment.

I downed my food with a free Snapple drink, courtesy of Dealagio.com. Another sponsor, Hunter Vision, served iced tea from Panera.

All in all, I thought it was a fun event for people of all ages, and the prices were very reasonable.

The next Orlando Food Truck Bazaar will be held Sunday, August 21st at Fashion Square Mall, from 6 to 10 p.m. The event is outdoors, so I have a few tips/suggestions for you all:

 

–There will be no bathrooms available once the mall closes, so I suggest getting there before it closes and using the restrooms in one of the stores.

–You’ll be out in the sun, so dress appropriately and bring sunblock. Also be sure to check the weather forecast for the possibility of rain.

–Bring cash, as many of the vendors won’t accept credit cards.

–Bring your own chairs…and be prepared for long lines in front of the more popular food trucks.

–Say “hello” to your new addiction! I’m sure you’ll want to chase these trucks.

Bring the whole family…even the dog…and come to the ultimate “to-go food” experience– where you’ll want to stay and socialize. Next time, I’m hitting the desserts. 😉

 

Love,

–Laurita

12 thoughts on “Comiendo como los “troqueros” / Eating like a trucker”

  1. It looks like a great event. I love pupusas! My husband is Salvadoran so we eat pupusas ALL THE TIME for birthday parties, and such. Thanks for the post, Laura!

    1. Gracias, Carrie!

      Yes, my life definitely feels more complete now that I’ve discovered the mystical world of food trucks. How did I EVER exist without them?

      Also, I’ve been pretty happy lately. What gives!? LOL. Most be the birth of my new blog! I’m feeling a motherly glow around me. 😉

      Abrazos,

      –Laura

  2. Nashvegas, Carrie! I <3 it! 🙂 🙂 I love food trucks and wish Atlanta would pop up more Latin food ones. I hear there's one pretty good pupusa one, which I grew up eating! They're so good, especially with repollo… 😉

    Nice coming across your blog! I love the name.

  3. I have never been to one of these food truck events but am so tempted from all the yummy food I see in pictures! Pupusas… my favorite!

  4. Laurita! I loved, loved, loved this post! I can hear your voice–the one I heard when I met you at NAHJ–in both Spanish and English. Your words transported me: there I was, under the sun, in line, waiting to order a pupusa! Thanks too, for the “tips.” SMART (since some of us don’t think much when we’re starved)!

  5. thank you for sharing this story, it looks like a great time! and thank you for also sharing in english! i am a latina woman but my spanish is not nearly as good as it should be!!

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